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nelson133

December 20, 2006, 05:20 AM

The Rossis that I have owned and shot have been decent budget guns. They are now owned by Taurus and are basically their cheap line. Check them out like you would a used revolver, I have seen some with terrible triggers.

Jkwas

December 20, 2006, 08:43 AM

I think kymasabee has one. You might want to PM him. Do a search, I believe he has had good luck with his. If not here, search TFL.

Gunblade

December 20, 2006, 12:24 PM

I have been getting some mixed messeges about Taurus and Rossi, how are they(compared to a ruger or smith double action)

MCgunner

December 20, 2006, 12:35 PM

I've owned 7 Rossis over the years and still have a particularly well built M68 and a M511 .22 I love to shoot. They are high quality guns for the budget minded. They lack the sophisticated DA triggers and the beautiful fit and finish of higher quality guns, but they don't look that bad and they function perfectly well, actually are quite accurate. I really like 'em and don't mind saying so on a board full of Smith and Wesson snobs. :D They really give you MORE for your money than a Smith and Wesson, frankly. They are not that much less of a gun and you ain't paying for the logo on the side. Of course, I like and own Taurus revolvers, too, so whadda I know. :rolleyes: I have three Taurus revolvers and every one compares to the Smiths I've owned and own very well, accuracy, trigger quality, fit and finish. My little M85 has the best out of the box trigger I've ever felt on a small frame gun and hands down better than anything you can get in a J frame Smith or a Ruger for trigger quality. 640s and SP101s in particular have pretty rough DAs. I'd have to do some work to one if I bought one, but the little M85 was fantastic right out of the box and for less money. Actually, my little Rossi M68's DA compares well to a broke in M640. I don't have a high opinion of out of the box M640 triggers and the bad thing is they're DAO so you have no SA mode to use. But, they can be improved by a good smith for not a lot of money. At least the 640 is priced pretty well compared to other Smiths. It's one of the more affordable, but I'll keep my M85, thanks.

I don't have a brand agenda. I own several Ruger single actions and had a DA once. I love Ruger revolvers, excellent guns. I have owned three Smith DAs, nothing with a lock on it. The 1917 was an old clapped out war horse, so it really doesn't count I guess. My M19 was new and a nice gun, but not as accuate with .38 special as my two Taurus M66s I have now. It had a smooth trigger, but no smoother than my 4" Taurus, maybe a little smoother than my 3" Taurus which has the older Taurus action with the hammer block rather than the transfer bar of the newer one. It seems to suffer a little to the newer action. It is not quite as smooth as the old M10 Smith I still own and will never part with, but the newer Taurus suffers nothing compared to that M10. That old Model 10 is in excellent shape, to, not worn much, just well broken in.

Will I buy a new Smith in the future? SURE! I'll probably stick with older ones to keep the costs down not to mention the locks out. Will I buy Taurus or Rossi revolvers in the future? SURE. Will I buy Rugers in the future? YOU BET! Will I buy a Charter Arms or Llama Comanche or Arminius or...... well, you gotta draw the line somewhere. :D Rossi is good quality for the money. I can't say that for some, even the Charter. I had one Charter .38 briefly and, frankly, it wasn't up to Rossi quality. I got rid of it. Wasn't too accurate and it started shooting loose over time even with not that hot .38 loads. I've put more round count through a Rossi M88 I had, same loads, just as tight when I sold it as when I bought it and just as accurate.

Gunblade

December 20, 2006, 06:45 PM

Thanks, one last thing.

I know you can fire a .38 in a .357 magnum, but I read that it is actually detrimental to the gun over time.

I don't plan on shooting magnum rounds in the foreseeable future, so should I avoid getting a .357 magnum handgun?

MCgunner

December 20, 2006, 07:26 PM

If you shoot a lot of .38 in a .357 cylinder and don't clean it, brush the cylinder chambers out, eventually you'll get crud build up and the magnum rounds won't easily seat. However, you can soak the cylinder in solvent and scrub it out and it'll be just fine. I clean my guns after every session, scrub out the cylinders. I don't understand why people are so lazy as to avoid cleaning a gun. That's like cooking supper and never cleaning the dishes. My mom always told me that was part of the job of cookin', you mess 'em up, you clean 'em.

Firing .38 in a .357 is not a problem. Most of my range work with my .357s is done with .38 loads.

Browns Fan

December 21, 2006, 08:44 AM

That's my wife's first gun, she picked it out. We've had it for over 20 yrs and it still locks up tight and shoots great. My wife will occasionally shoot IDPA with it. A great bargain of a gun!

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